The ex-wife of the divorced 37-year-old father of two who took off with a teenage girl in October told authorities a year ago she suspected a romantic relationship between the two, testimony at a probable cause hearing revealed Friday.

Robert MesserCourtesy of Plymouth Township police

The teenage girl's mother also testified that Robert Messer's 14-year-old son punched a hole in the wall when he discovered the note saying his dad and the 15-year-girl were running away together.

These and other details were brought to light at Messer's preliminary examination held before Judge Michael Gerou in Plymouth Township's 35th District Court Friday afternoon. He's been charged with one count of first-degree CSC, four counts of third-degree CSC and one count of accosting a children for immoral purposes. Both first-degree and third-degree CSC involve sexual penetration.

Police began searching for Messer and the teen when they did not return from a planned trip to Ann Arbor Oct. 28. They were found two days later in a Washtenaw County field.

After Friday's testimony from the girl's mother, who turned out to be the only witness, the hearing was postponed until Nov. 19, when the 15-year-old girl will take the stand.

Gerou will decide on a motion made by the prosecution to bar the public and media from the courtroom during the teen's testimony. Attorneys said in court she will be the only other witness to testify. After that, it will be up to Gerou to determine whether there is probable cause that the crimes occurred and that Messer committed them. The girl's name is now being withheld because she's the victim in a criminal sexual conduct case.

The girl's mother became emotional and broke down in tears while testifying.

"I felt betrayed. He was the one person I thought I could trust," she said. "(The girl is) very ashamed. She thinks everyone thinks less of her. She's humiliated by it."

When Messer's defense attorney, Jonathan Jones, asked about the 2012 investigation, the mother said she was convinced there was nothing untoward about the relationship.

"It was an allegation made by the defendant's ex-wife because she was trying to get custody of her (and) Messer's children," said the mother, who earlier described Messer's ex-wife as "her best friend."

The mother said she questioned both her daughter and Messer at that time.

"They were just friends and nothing was founded," she said. "(The girl) looked up to him as a father figure."

Jones and Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Aimee Fowler seemed mostly devoted in establishing a timeline of events. The mother said the teen left the house that Sunday around 8 or 9 a.m. to go spend time with Messer. Her daughter was only allowed to hang out with him once a week.

Messer and the teen told everyone they were headed to Ann Arbor, where spending time snapping pictures was a shared interest between the two.

The mother wasn't aware there was anything wrong until she got a call from Messer's Salem Township home where he lived with his parents. His family had discovered a note written in both Messer's and the teen's handwriting saying they were in love and running away together, the mother testified. The two also left their cellphones behind.

When the mother arrived at the Salem Township home, she first saw Messer's 14-year-old son, who she described as being upset and not wanting to talk to her. She testified he was the one who had found the note and had punched a hole in a hallway wall.

"He was very angry and put his fist through the wall," she said.

The mother said she then contacted the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, which instructed her to call Plymouth Township police because that's where they live.

Police found Messer and the teen two days later in a field about three miles from Messer's home in Salem Township.

The mother tearfully recalled the reunion with her daughter at St Mary's Hospital in Livonia.

"Her face was sunken in. She was pale," she said.

The teen and Messer had both reportedly injured themselves and were treated for those wounds. Messer was taken into custody and subsequently charged.

Messer appeared in court Friday wearing a similar plain black T-shirt he wore when arraigned on the charges Oct. 31. Gerou continued the bond and Messer is being held on 10 percent of $2 million bail.

When reached by The Ann Arbor News last month, Messer's ex-wife did not wish to comment.